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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018.03.13 OSTB_BOCC Work Session Min_S MINUTES OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS BOARD BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS JOINT WORK SESSION March 13, 2018 Pitkin County Library 120 N. Mill St.,Aspen OSTB Present: Graeme Means Howie Mallory Hawk Greenway Tim McFlynn Wayne Ives Dist. 1 Dist. 2 Dist. 3 Dist. 4 Dist. 5 Chair Staff Present: Gary Tennenbaum, Dale Will, Lindsey Utter, Jessie Young, Janet Urquhart, Richard Neiley, Jon Peacock BOCC Present: Patti Clapper(Chair), Rachel Richards, Steven Childs, Greg Poschman, George Newman Consultants Present: Bill Mangle, ERO; Derek Webb and Peter Loris, Loris and Associates Media Present: Scott Condon, The Aspen Times; GrassRoots TV crew Patti Clapper called the meeting to order at 12:00 PM. Patti Clapper acknowledged the meeting was the final one for Open Space and Trails Board members Hawk Greenway and Tim McFlynn, and thanked them both for their service. McFlynn noted he and Greenway had been invited to participate in coming board meetings as non-voting attendees. Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail Proposed Draft Plan Patti Clapper explained no public comment would be taken during the (March 13)work session on the Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail Proposed Draft Plan and said attempts had been made to hold the meeting in Carbondale. Jon Peacock said the goal of the meeting was not to take action, but to consider the proposed draft plan and provide input with the goal of creating a draft plan that will be ready to release for public review and comment after the two boards meet again jointly on April 10. Gary Tennenbaum said the proposed draft plan represents the accumulation of board and public input to date. The plan offers a phased approach to trail development, allowing sections that involve private property to undergo further review and discussion. Phases of trail construction would create trail segments that work as stand-alone trails until the entire trail can be developed. He offered the trail section between Redstone and McClure Pass as an example of a stand-alone segment. Tennenbaum reviewed the proposed public process schedule, which allows public comment into the draft plan, once it is released for public input, through July 27. Patti Clapper urged the scheduling of joint meetings related to the trail plan when all members of both boards can be 03/13/2018 OSTB-BOCC Work Session Minutes Page 1 of 4 present, if possible. George Newman requested a work session in August for the two boards to consider a proposed final plan before a meeting on the final plan is held that includes public comment. Steve Child asked that presentations to the public on the draft plan include an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and give feedback as a group. Greg Poschman agreed. That will occur, Tennenbaum said. Lindsey Utter summarized each of the action items in Sections Al through A3 of the proposed draft plan. Board members were invited to offer input. The boards ran out of time for a discussion on Section A4—Trail Action Items. Following is a summary of board input on sections where input was provided. • A1.1 Habitat Enhancement Projects Steve Child—Don't"go down a rabbit hole"trying to control cheatgrass. Rachel Richards—Involve Pitkin County Emergency Management in planned burns. Hawk Greenway—Enlist adjacent private landowners as potential partners. • A1.4 Bighorn Resiliency Rachel Richards—What efforts will be taken to understand the effect of domestic sheep on the bighorn herd? Howie Mallory—Improving the resiliency of the bighorn herd should go forward regardless the trail; rebuilding the herd should be the goal. Adjacent landowners should be included as partners in the effort. • A1.5 Seasonal Closures Greg Poschman—What is the cost of maintaining seasonal closures in perpetuity? Tim McFlynn—What is the efficacy of seasonal closures and what does it cost? Rachel Richards—Require reporting on the efficacy of closures. Steve Child—The duration of seasonal closures on some segments could be significant. Hawk Greenway—Seasonal closures should be science-based. • A1.7 Best Management Practices for Trail Construction Graeme Means—Construction of a cantilevered trail in the highway right-of-way has environmental consequences that should be considered. • A2.1 Trailheads Howie Mallory—Be mindful of the impact of parking on neighborhoods. Rachel Richards—Add a section on parking lot standards; clarify the definition of"social trail." Steve Child—Placement of parking is critical to avoid having parking occur in unanticipated places. • A2.2 Interpretation Patti Clapper—Avoid over-signage. • A2.4 Work with CDOT on increasing paved shoulder widths on Hwy. 133 03/13/2018 OSTB-BOCC Work Session Minutes Page 2 of 4 Howie Mallory—Can speed limits on the highway be lowered and can there be more enforcement of speed limits? Building only a singletrack trail above Redstone would limit road biking. An option that allows road biking should be considered. George Newman—Additional signage could be more effective in addressing speeds than requesting a reduction in speed limits. Tim McFlynn—Open space funds can now be spent on road shoulders. Wider shoulders should be provided where possible. Rachel Richards—Work on wider shoulder widths to the extent possible,but balance the work with the need for wider shoulders on other roads in the county. • A2.5 Avalanche Campground Hawk Greenway—The county should notify its congressional representatives each time it spends its funds on a project that should be funded at the federal level. Rachel Richards— Seek help from county Road and Bridge on the site work, if possible. • A3 Maintenance, Management, Enforcement and Outreach Rachel Richards—Is there an ongoing outreach advertising/marketing budget for the trail? • A3.1 Maintenance Staff and Equipment Greg Poschman—Add information about the equipment replacement schedule. • A3.4 Enforcement Staff Patti Clapper— Stationing a ranger in the Crystal Valley would be ideal. • A3.5 Education Campaign Rachel Richards—Break out one-time versus annual costs; do this in all relevant sections of the plan. Graeme Means asked for a financial analysis that establishes how the county can pay for the trail project. Howie Mallory agreed, asking how much the county is able to commit to the project over the long term, including capital and operational costs, and what its limits are. Tim McFlynn suggested a section of the plan that outlines funding approaches over the next 10 or 20 years. Discussion by the two boards hasn't yet touched on the actual cost of building the trail, noted George Newman. It will be a decades-long project, he said. Gary Tennenbaum said the boards will be provided with a summary of potential costs that also identifies potential funding sources and partners. He noted trail surface type and width has not been discussed for the trail north of Redstone. Those are factors that affect cost, he said. Steve Child suggested the entire trail could be constructed as singletrack at considerably less expense. 03/13/2018 OSTB-BOCC Work Session Minutes Page 3 of 4 Rachel Richards called the project a long-range plan and vision. She asked for a breakout of early expenses, mid-term expenditures and what triggers them, and later-phase costs, including costs that are not related to actual construction. Tim McFlynn urged the boards to obtain a cost spreadsheet, to make future decisions based on cost and good science, and to consider environmental enhancement projects because they benefit the corridor. Patti Clapper said the two boards will take up Trail Action Items (Section A4) when they meet jointly for another work session on April 10. A video of the meeting is available at https://pitkincounty.ompnetwork.org/embed/sessions/26260/bocc-work-session-3-13-18 ADJOURN The OSTB-BOCC joint work session of March 13, 2018 was adjourned at approximately 2:00 p.m. Approved: Attest: Wayne v�hair J et Urquhart Pitkin County Open Space &Trails Board ST Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator 03/13/2018 OSTB-BOCC Work Session Minutes Page 4 of 4